


Snow Days

by raiykei



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cute, Fluff, Winter fun, everyone teases hongjoong, just some, snow days and hot chocolate, what else are you supposed to do in snow other than try to shove it down jackets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28304988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raiykei/pseuds/raiykei
Summary: Hongjoong had never been afraid of getting dirty, of stooping to their level. He was mature, he was their leader, but he was also one of the biggest gremlin forces within Ateez, a fact that sometimes went forgotten until it surfaced.-or-Winter is good for one thing and one thing only when you're a tired leader and producer for a group of young adults that seem intent on staring a snowball fight they think they can win.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 37





	Snow Days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tinytokki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinytokki/gifts).



> For the first time ever I participated in Writertiny Secret Santa over on twitter! It was a lot of fun, and I hope Tinytokki enjoys this gift!!!

Weariness pulled at his limbs, weighing him down and pinning him against the seat of the car, eyelids unable to fight against the drowsiness that had clung to him since leaving his studio. There was something about the winter that amplified the exhaustion he felt, something calming and quiet that fell over the city along with the snow on either side of the road. Sounds were muffled, colors dulled, and every bit of warmth sunk into his skin pulling him closer to complacency. 

It was a shame when he finally reached the dorm, having to abandon the warmth of the car in favor of a handful of seconds in the cold, thanking the staff that had dropped him off and shouldering his bag. Hongjoong adjusted his scarf before taking a deep breath and stepping out, trying his best to brace himself against the sudden change in temperature. There was no breeze, thankfully, the wind chill close to nonexistent, but the temperature was still deep into winter territories, cold enough to keep the snow around set a chill into his bones the longer he took his time.

He had almost made it to the door, thoughts drifting to holing himself up in a pile of blankets with a cup of hot cocoa, when something wet and cold collided with the back of his neck, sending snow tumbling down his jacket. Hongjoong gave the most undignified squawk, trying to dance away from the snow that had assaulted him. He was met with a series of snickers that rose and quieted in volume, as if the people making them were trying to be quiet and not raise suspicion. Hongjoong whipped around, eyes wide and focusing on the two snickering into their hands, leaning against each other to stay upright.

San and Wooyoung.

He should have known.

They weren't that far off, bundled up in their own winter gear, snow clinging to the tops of their heads and shoulders, red faces giving away how long they had already been at their reindeer games. Catching their attention only had Wooyoung losing any remainder of self control he had, snickers turning into full blown laughter that had him clinging to San for support. Finding the two of them out and about in the snow wasn't unusual. Despite the responsibilities that clung to their shoulders, coloring almost every second of their lives, forcing them to have to behave certain ways when public attention was on them, they were still young, still enjoying the simpler things of life. Maybe more so now that free time was limited, a couple hours here or there when schedules allowed it.

But the disasterous duo had made one grave miscalculation.

Hongjoong had never been afraid of getting dirty, of stooping to their level. He was mature, he was their leader, but he was also one of the biggest gremlin forces within Ateez, a fact that sometimes went forgotten until it surfaced. 

So, he was sure, they didn't expect him to crouch down, scooping up the biggest pile of snow he could in his ungloved hands, shaping it into something that could vaguely be called a lump, and throwing it as hard as he could at the two. It soared rather unceremoniously until it smacked against San's shoulder, pulling a surprised squeak from him, having Wooyoung howling even more. It didn't take long for Hongjoong to have another snowball packed together and aimed right at Wooyoung, hitting the other man in the chest.

There was a moment where a victorious grin stretched across Hongjoong's face, a moment he soaked in the surprise on both of their faces, before he caught that dangerous glint that passed between the two, before he was scrambling towards the door of the building in a desperate attempt to have something between him and them. He had already been assaulted by snow once, he didn't want to experience it again.

Seonghwa blocked his path, though, staring in utter confusion as chaos began to erupt around him. Hongjoong made a split second decision, even if he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that it would come back to haunt him later. He spun around Seonghwa, hands curling into the back of the other's jacket, holding him in place as a human shield against the assault of snowballs Wooyoung and San began to throw at them. Well, him. Seonghwa was just an unfortunate casualty, but if Hongjoong knew anything about his group- and he liked to think that even without being home all the time that he knew quite a bit- then Seonghwa being his shield only made Wooyoung double his efforts in slinging snowballs at them.

The assault of snow did little to stop Seonghwa from trying to enact his revenge. Not against Wooyoung and San like Hongjoong had expected. Oh no. Seonghwa twisted in his grasp, trying to drag Hongjoong into the line of fire, hands groping for him with every twist and turn he tried. Hongjoong gave a startled yell, scrambling to keep his balance and keep Seonghwa between him and the disasterous duo. It was a terrible combination of forces. Hongjoong's shoes refused to find traction, sending him pitching one direction, his grip on Seonghwa throwing the other off. Both of them tried to regain what little footing they could in the seconds before they crashed into a pile of snow.

Seonghwa scrambled to his knees first, shoveling fistful after fistful of snow at Hongjoong, accenting each snow pile with a smack to his shoulders or arms. "You used me as a shield!"

"Seonghwa-! My laptop-!"

"There's snow in places snow shouldn't be, Hongjooong!"

He couldn't help it. Hongjoong laughed, smiling ear to ear, hands raised to defend himself from Seonghwa's attack as he tried to curl around himself. It did little to actually help, only succeeding in provoking Seonghwa into trying to shovel handfuls of snow into his jacket. 

"I'll save you, Hongjoong!" Yunho's voice rung out clear, Seonghwa being lifted out of Hongjoong's space with a screech, kicking his legs and batting at Yunho's arms wrapped around his waist. 

Hongjoong scrambled to his feet rather quickly, putting a bit of distance between himself and the flailing mass of limbs that was Seonghwa, laughing and clutching his bag to his chest as if that might save him from the onslaught. Wooyoung was too busy laughing again, having found himself at the point where no sound came but wheezing breaths, San's attention fixated on Mingi as if debating the likelihood of still getting the snacks Yunho and Mingi had gathered if he hit their rapper with snow. For the moment there was a relative moment of peace, a tension still in the air speaking to how one wrong move could set them all off again.

They didn't expect the next attack to come from afar, a snowball ricocheting off of Mingi's shoulder. All attention pulled to the balcony three stories up, six pairs of eyes blinking at the duo that stood at the railing. Jongho was already packing another snowball from what had collected along the railing, a glint in his eyes that could only spell trouble, while Yeosang leaned forward, waving and giving a small, "Hi, Mingi!" in that tiny voice of his that got him out of any looming trouble.

"Come down here and fight like a man!" San hollered, dramatic with his gestures, voice carrying across the distance.

Yeosang looked as if he was considering it, and Hongjoong could pratically hear the thoughtful hum that would leave him, finger tapping his chin, eyes tilted up, as Yeosang drew the moment out and out and out beyond what any normal person would have done. They all knew it was on purpose. That Yeosang, despite his naivety and easy going nature, could be just as ruthless as the rest of them when he wanted to be. 

"No."

Jongho let loose the snowball he had been packing, San barely managing to duck in time, the same time Yeosang shoved a section of snow from the railing, leaning far over to watch it fall onto Yunho, startling the other man into finally letting Seonghwa go. Seonghwa staggered away from Yunho, putting distance between the two of them, giving Hongjoong the perfect opportunity to scoop up a big handful of snow, shoving it directly down the back of Seonghwa's jacket.

It started the chaos all over again.

Seonghwa _screeched_ , rounding on him with renewed vigor, curses trailing after Hongjoong on fogged breath as Seonghwa rushed after him, hands swiping at anything they could reach. His arms, his back, once even his bag before Hongjoong pulled it against his chest and ducked behind Mingi. They circled around each other, Mingi looking between the two of them, neither moving nor picking sides, letting the eldest of their group act more like children than the rest of them. 

Hongjoong's attention flicked towards Yunho- their dancer lobbing snowballs towards the balcony at Jongho, moving side to side to keep from being an easy target- debating his chances of making it to the door without trouble. It was worth the risk. Yunho wouldn't tackle him to the ground or throw him into a snowbank. The most he might get would be a snowball or two, but everyone's attention was directed elsewhere. He ran as fast as he could, trying to keep as low as possible without upsetting his balance, managing to make it through the door and into the lobby of the building before arms wrapped around his waist, hauling him back into a solid chest.

"You little-!"

He almost didn't hear Seonghwa over the sound of his own breaths, heavy and ragged, half from laughing and half from running. Hongjoong didn't fight the embrace, leaning back against Seonghwa while he took a moment to catch his breath. It was only maybe a minute or so later that San and Wooyoung slunk their way into the building, carrying the bags that Mingi and Yunho had gathered, snowflakes clinging to their clothing despite the shivers that assaulted them. 

"Get a room," San joked as he passed them by, earning a glare and a half hearted kick from Hongjoong that the other jerked away from without much trouble. "Hey! Keep that up and no hot chocolate for you!"

"Are you making it?"

Before their bickering could escalate any further, Wooyoung pushed at San, the two of them making their way to the dorm. When Hongjoong was sure his heart wasn't going to beat right out of his chest or crawl up his throat, he pulled away from Seonghwa. "Come on. We better make sure they don't burn the place down."

"Have a little faith in them."

"I have faith in them. Just not in San when it comes to anything stove related."

The night didn't end on a note Hongjoong had expected when he had left his studio earlier that evening. He didn't collapse into bed with barely the energy to change out of his clothes, or scavenge through the fridge for leftovers he could reheat for a quick meal. He didn't expect every blanket of the dorm to be gathered in the living room while they all huddled close, some cheesy winter movie playing on the tv. Hongjoong couldn't say he was upset at how things had gone. It wasn't every day he got a chance to force his way between two people on the couch, soaking up warmth and comfort while wrapped in what had to be at least three blankets between the one wrapped around him, the one draped over his shoulders, and the one Wooyoung was wrapped in while curled up in Hongjoong's lap. It was a nice change of pace to be able to enjoy the night with the rest of his groupmates, hot chocolate warming his hands, lulled into a sense of security with seven other presences by his side.

"If any of you end up sick because of this-" he started to warn, half joking if the smile on his face said anything, only for his words to be cut off by a sudden and violent sneeze that almost launched his hot cocoa out of his hands and across Wooyoung.

There was a beat of silence before the room erupted into a cacophony of sounds. There were a few small concerned questions hidden behind hands, smiles stretched across lips. Seonghwa even ran a hand up and down his spine in sympathy as everyone else delved into different levels of laughter, the irony of the moment not lost on them. Hongjoong couldn't help the pout that pursed his lips together, though it certainly didn't help with the gentle teasing, San pinching his cheek and drawing back with a laugh when Hongjoong swatted at his hand. 

"Yeah. Ha ha. Laugh it up."

"I can't believe the secret to getting Hongjoong to be at home is getting him sick." Yunho tossed him a half sympathetic smile, and Hongjoong tossed him a glare worthy of any traitor.

It didn't stop him from rounding on Seonghwa, holding up a finger. "Don't."

"I didn't say anything."

"If I get sick you're sleeping in the gamer room and you can take your framed picture of me with you."

That cut off Wooyoung's giggles, the other taking a moment to gather his breath before speaking up. "Hongjoong, I love you, but I am not sleeping with a picture of you in my room."

"Then I guess we stop teasing me about being sick before _I actually get sick_!"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Hongjoong tossed a pillow at San, starting another round of chaos and movement, though at least this time it was inside, surrounded by warmth, and conveniently placed furniture and doorways for him to retreat to if he needed a quick escape.


End file.
